


Happy Birthday, Hitori

by EchoTheLoser



Category: Hatoful Kareshi | Hatoful Boyfriend
Genre: Angst, BBL spoilers, Birthday, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Hatoful Boyfriend: Holiday Star Spoilers, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-24
Updated: 2019-09-24
Packaged: 2020-10-27 06:20:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,096
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20755742
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/EchoTheLoser/pseuds/EchoTheLoser
Summary: Isn't it wonderful how different each year in someone's life can be?





	Happy Birthday, Hitori

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a brief thing I wrote for Hitori's hatchday!

“Happy birthday, Hitori!” 

Hitori can remember his parents, their faces, their voices. He was barely more than a chick when they died, but he was old enough to carry at least that much with him.

The war raged on outside. Hitori couldn’t fully understand the stakes of it, not at that age. All he knew was that he should not leave his house. There was no present for him, not that year. Hitori can remember his parents apologizing, saying that he deserved better, but he cannot remember what his response was.

“We love you,” his parents had said, his small body tucked under their wings. That was the last birthday he had spent with them.

Hitori can remember his parents, their faces, their voices, but cannot remember any love he felt towards them now. He does not even think of them. They aren’t his family; Hitori has always had trouble extending his affection farther than it needs to be.

♥♡♥

“Happy birthday, Hitori!” “Happy birthday!” “Happy birthday!!!”

His family beamed up at him, joy in each of their faces, joy that was reflected in his own. Everyone was there by this year; Hoppe, the youngest, too young; Yuusuke, nose running; Kokoro, wearing her watch that would soon be stopped; Momo, the closest to Hitori’s age, smiling kindly; Pyonpyon, restlessly playful; Nacchin and Tsukkun, far too small for ducklings their age; Kanta, jumping up and down on his one leg; and Nageki, the newest of their family, never smiling but looking happier than usual. This memory, everyone together, is in the recesses of Hitori’s mind whenever he lets himself feel happy.

The younger children pushed a package towards him, wings shoved against each other in each chick’s scramble to be the one who handed it over. Hitori was hit by a wave of concern. “You didn’t have to get me anything.”

“We wanted to!” one of his sisters had said in a singsong voice.

“But the m-” Hitori stopped himself. They had an agreement not to talk about money in front of the younger children.

“It’s fine!” one of his brothers had said, rolling his eyes.

“We could have just gotten a nice dinner for all of us.”

“Open it!” some of the toddlers begged.

He’d still hesitated. 

“You deserve to get gifts, Hitori,” Nageki said, barely loud enough to hear. 

Finally he’d let himself tear apart the wrapping paper.

“Oh!”

Inside was a scarf, red and unimaginably soft. He draped it over his neck.

“Thank you, everyone.”

♥♡♥

“Happy Birthday, Hitori.”

Hitori and Nageki sat at the table in their little home. Nageki was wrapped up in the mountain of blankets that Hitori had thrown over him. 

“Thank you.”

“You don’t need to thank me. I should be the one thanking you.” Nageki refused to meet his eyes. He tried not to let any emotion slip through his mask of indifference, but Hitori knew his brother well enough to spot the subtle embarrassment in his posture. The few pieces of the cake that they had been able to salvage are on the table in front of them.

“I’m sorry I couldn’t get you a real gift. You deserve better than having to look after me.”

“I told you, I don’t care about that! Besides, the cake is good!”

“... you still shouldn’t have had to help  _ me _ on  _ your _ birthday.” The broken bowl on the kitchen floor still needed to be cleaned up. Hitori was just thankful that Nageki didn’t get hurt more when he collapsed.

“It’s not your fault.”

“I know that.”

“You don’t need to apologize for being sick.”

“I  _ know _ that.”

Hitori smiled and stood up. “Come on, it’s my birthday! We shouldn’t be moping around like this. Lets go pick some more millet.”

Nageki nodded, and smiled back even if it was only barely.

“I love you, yaknow? I’m so lucky that you’re my brother.”

“...I know. I love you too.”

♥♡♥

“H… Happy birthday, Hitori!”

Kazuaki was shaking, having just been crying, but he smiled anyway as he held up a present. 

“... huh?”

Kazuaki shrank back immediately. “Did I… get it wrong? I’m so sorry, I thought for sure today was your birthday, I must have remembered wrong. Oh god, I’m sorry, I can’t believe I messed it up, I-”

“You didn’t get it wrong, I just didn’t think you’d do anything for me.” That was a lie, of course. Hitori had forgotten completely about his birthday. He hadn’t celebrated it since… 

“Oh. Well, I did. Did you not want me to? I’m sorry, I should have known it would bother you.”

“I’m not bothered.” Another lie. Of course he was bothered, how could he not be? Here Kazuaki was, on the verge of tears, congratulating Hitori on living another year. A year Kazuaki would soon not be able to live with him.

“I wanted to thank you. You’re my only friend, the only one I’ve ever had. You deserve better than me, and this terrible world, and this awful present, and- sorry. But, here.”

“Thank you.” Hitori took the gift from Kazuaki’s trembling wings. It only took a glance to tell what it was; in Kazuaki’s messy handwriting, poetry was scrawled across the pages of a makeshift book. 

“Is it bad? It’s awful, isn’t it?” Kazuaki wailed, no doubt reading Hitori’s hesitant expression as one of scorn.

“It’s amazing.” Hitori hugged Kazuaki to keep him from sobbing. He could hear Nageki sigh impatiently.

Hitori wished that he could say he felt devastated when he destroyed the gift months later, erasing all evidence that the two quails had ever met let alone switched places. But all he felt was hollow.

♥♡♥

“Happy birthday, Mr. Nanaki!”

Hitori wishes he hadn’t given in when his students asked him what his birthday was. This was far too bothersome. His students- well  _ some  _ of his students- greet him with cheer as he walked in.

“You’re the best homeroom teacher I can imagine!” 

“That says more about you than it does him, Tosaka,” Shirogane scoffs.

“Thanks for, uh, trying this year, sir,” Kawara says.

The human girl tosses a box onto his desk. No doubt, she forgot her math homework in the excitement of getting him this gift. He does not open it yet, and he knows he probably won’t open it at all.

“Thank you, everyone.”

“Do you have any plans for today, sir?”

“No… not… really…”

As he drifts off to sleep, he hears Nageki, as he always does.

“You don’t deserve this,” the shadow of his brother sweetly whispers in his ear. “You don’t deserve anything at all.”


End file.
